2026 Land and Water Summit
Draft Agenda
Wednesday, March 4
8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Field Trip
The Land and Water Summit offers a full-day field trip the day before the Conference. Planned by the Arid LID Coalition, the 2026 field trip will be held on Wednesday, March 4 and visit sites that showcase best management practices in municipal and neighborhood-scale green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), habitat restoration work, and low impact development at a sustainable housing community. Cost of the all-day event includes bus transportation, a guided tour, and a delicious lunch. Participants always rave about our Field Trips! Tickets are limited – book early so you don’t miss this special event!
Thursday, March 5
7:00 AM -8:00 AM
Breakfast
8:15 AM – 8:30 AM
Welcome and Land Acknowledgement
8:30 AM – 9:15 AM
Keynote Address – How Stormwater Managers Can Maximize Their Connection with Nature
Speaker: Robyn DeYoung, Lead of Green Infrastructure Program, US Environmental Protection Agency
9:15 AM -10:00 AM
What we’re learning after 3 yrs of Biofilter Monitoring from the SoCal Stormwater Monitoring Coalition Regional BMP Monitoring Network
Speaker: Elizabeth Fassman-Beck, P.E., Engineering Department Head, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
10:00 AM -10:15 AM
Break
10:15 AM -11:00 AM
Designing with Nature at a Landscape Scale: Balancing Ecosystem Integrity with Societal Needs
Speaker: Jan Willem Jansens, Ecotone Landscape Planning, LLC
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
Conservation Futures: Leading our Nations Back to Cultural and Ecological Well-being
Speakers: Marley Puanani Smith and Glen Catlin “Cat” Ami, Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM
Lunch
12:30 PM – 1:15 PM
Poster Session
1:15 PM – 2:00 PM
Rooted in Resilience: Caring for Urban Habitat through Thoughtful Invasive Plant Management
Speaker: Megan Ewbank, Community Habitat Program Manager, Tucson Bird Alliance
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM
Designing with Nature as Client: Water & Ecology in the Southwest
Shayla Woodhouse, PE, Project Engineer, Biohabitats
2:45 PM – 3:00 PM
Break
3:00 PM – 3:10 PM
Poster Awards
3:10 PM – 4:30 PM
Panel Discussion: University of New Mexico – Current Water-Related Research
Dr. Kathy Kambic (Landscape Architecture & Planning)
Dr. Maria Lane (Geography & Environmental Studies)
Dr. Maceo Carrillo Martinet (Community & Regional Planning)
Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie (Indigenous Design & Planning Institute)
Panel Moderator: Dave Gatterman, P.E., Executive Engineer, SSCAFCA
Friday, March 6
7:00 AM -8:00 AM
Breakfast
8:15 AM – 8:30 AM
Welcome and Land Acknowledgement
8:30 AM – 9:15 AM
Keynote Address
Speaker: Ann Simon, Deputy Director of Policy & Sustainability Officer, City of Albuquerque
9:15 AM -10:00 AM
Developing a Playbook for Engineering with Nature in the Arid Southwest
Speaker: Aubrey Harris, PE PhD, Research Civil Engineer, Environmental Laboratory, Engineer Research and Development Center, US Army Corps of Engineers
10:00 AM -10:15 AM
Break
10:15: AM -11:00 AM
Small Dams, Big Impacts: Lessons from Watershed Restoration with Natural Infrastructure in Dryland Streams (NIDS)!
Speaker: Laura M Norman, Ph.D., USGS
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
Tijeras Creek Watershed Restoration Project
Speakers:
Kevin Gilbert, BHI
Bobby Mullin, BernCo NRS
Stuart Trabant, P.E., Paramatrix
11:45 AM – 1:15 PM
Lunch
1:15 PM – 2:00 PM
Stormwater as a Resource and Framework for Revitalization of Western Cities
Speaker: Greg Dorolek, PLA, ASLA – Vice President, Wenk
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM
Designing an Enduring Landscape in an Urban Corridor: Tramway Trail
Speakers:
Ashlie Maxwell, Consensus Planning, Inc.
Whitney Phelan, City of Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department
Ken Romig, ASLA, Consensus Planning, Inc.
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Panel Discussion: Middle Rio Grande, Managing with Less Water
Panel:
Diane Agnew, ABCWUA
Jason Casuga, MRGCD
Carolyn Donnelly, USBOR
Paul Tashjian, Audobon Southwest
Panel Moderator: Rin Tara, Utton Transboundary Resources Center
